Pallet



Dec. 15, 1953 s. D. LAPHAM 2,662,711

PALLET Filed April 10, 1948 4jLIITI II TIT II II IFII II II II II WITH ITI II II II I II I/ I a 4 INVENTOR. j/O/VE? 0.142%

Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PALLET Sidney D. Lapham, Martinez, Calif.

Application April 10, 1948, Serial No. 20,300

3 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial Number 785,040 filed November 10, 1947; relates to article handling pallets; and in general has for its object the provision of a symmetrical pallet made up of a multitude of closely spaced parallel rails or beams welded or otherwise secured over and to another like set of parallel rails at right angles thereto.

For many years the industry has resorted to the use of pallets having a solid deck and provided on its lower sides with passageways for the reception of the forks of an industrial lift truck. While by inserting the forks beneath the palletdeck it becomes possible to transfer the pallet and its load from one place to another, it is not possible with this type of pallet to load or unload the pallet by the use of a fork lift truck. It was to overcome this difficulty that the special purpose pallet described in my application above referred to was developed. The latter pallet, in common with the pallet constituting the present invention, includes one set of spaced parallel rails welded transversely over and to another set of spaced parallel rails. As a result of this construction each adjacent pair of rails of each set of rails defines a channel or way for the reception of one of the forks of the lift truck and consequently the fork can be inserted beneath the upper set of rails when it is desired to transfer bodily the pallet and its load or beneath the load but above the lower set of rails when it is desired to remove the load from the pallet.

At the time of filing my former application it was deemed essential that the width of the channels or ways defined by adjacent rails be considerably greater than the width of the tine of a standard fork so as to avoid the necessity on the part of the truck operator to approach the pallet with the truck forks in accurate alignment with the fork-Ways of the pallet. Although a pallet conforming to such dimensions can be designed to support standard lug boxes, oil drums and the like, the extended spacing between adjacent rails precludes the use of such a pallet for supporting paper cartons or relatively small packages. This limitation is a result not only of the extended rail spacing but also a. result of the relatively small gauge of the strip steel from which the rails are made in order to keep its weight and cost within reason. From a prac tical standpoint strip steel of not over 14 gauge should be used and this of course means that the load carried by the pallet is supported only at spaced intervals on about surfaces.

More specifically the object of this invention 2 is the provision of a pallet comprising two sets of parallel rails wherein one set of rails is disposed at right angles to the other set and wherein the rails of each set are spaced on substantially 2" centers.

As will be better appreciated from an inspection of the drawing forming a part hereof, by spacing the pallet rails as above indicated, it becomes possible to support a box thereon with a rail always within 1" of each end thereof.

The distribution of the load over the pallet in this manner is of importance, for the ends of a box may be considered as columns and are capable of withstanding a much greater compression load than its top and bottom. Obviously this is of particular advantage in connection with the transportation and storage of paperboard cartons. In addition to this, it is to be noted that the supporting surface of a pallet formed by closely spaced rails for practical purposes, approximates that of a solid deck pallet and makes it possible to handle relatively small packages.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description wherein that form of the invention which has been selected for illustration in the drawing accompanying and forming a part of the present specification is outlined in full. In said drawing one form of the invention is shown, but it is to be understood that it is not limited to such form, since the invention as set forth in the claims may be embodied in other forms.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an isometric projection of a pallet embodying the objects of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pallet illustrated in Fig. 1, loaded with a stack of paperboard cartons.

The pallet shown in these figures includes a lower set I of parallel rails 2 spaced on substantially 2" centers and preferably made of 14 gauge x 2" strip steel. Welded to the rails 2 at right angles thereto is an upper set 3 of parallel rails 4- likewise spaced on 2" centers and made of 14 gauge x 2" spring steel. For ease of construction and as clearly shown in the drawing, the ends of the rails 2 of the lower set of rails extend slightly beyond the adjacent rails of the upper set of rails and likewise the ends of the rails 2 of the upper set of rails extend slightly beyond the adjacent rails of the lower set of rails.

From this description it will be noted that the resulting pallet is entirely symmetrical and that either of its faces may be used as its top or as its bottom. Each adjacent pair of rails of each set of rails forms or defines a channel or line-way for the reception of one of the tines of a lift fork.

To load, unload or move a pallet of this type it is necessary to use a specially designed fork which will be the subject matter of a companion application. Briefly, as indicated in dash line in Figure 1, such a fork includes a plurality of tapered tines, of circular cross-section mounted on a plate-on z" centers, the plate-beingmounted to a lift truck through a universal connection. Associated with the plate and the lift truckis means moving the fork from a floating position to a position square with the lift truck and for looking it in the latter position. Whemintroducing the tines of such a fork into the tine-waysof my universal pallet, the fork is unlocked so as'to be free to assume any position about itsnniversal connection with the tractor. As the free ends of ,thetines enter the tinegways the truck operaor soaligns the truck Withthe pallet that the longitudi nal .ax is vof the truck is parallel with the tine-ways, and then completes the entry of the fork into the tine-Ways. Although ,ithas always been considered essential in construct n a pallet to leave considerable clearance between the pallet decksupporting members so that the tines of a .lift truck can be introduced therebetween without theexercise of any great degree of care on the byone set of rails is aided by the fact that the ends of these rails extend ,somewhatbeyond the immediately adjacent transverse rail of the other set of rails. If then the tines by,chan ce hit the ends of the tine-Way forming rails they will be deflected laterally into the tine-ways. If the lines when introduced into thepallet .areon a level with the transverse railrather than with the tine-.wayathe fork canbe raised or lowered to the properleveLand if at such time the tines .are notaligned .With the tine-ways they will be deflected by the rotrudin rail 7 ends to their proper-position.

From aninspection of Fig. 2 it .willbenoted regardless of the dimensions of the boxes with .which such. a pallet may be loade rthebox es are always supportedbythepallet railsalon a line not more than oneinch from either end thereof,

.thisof coursebeing a veryimportant factor in connection ,with paperboard cartons. This con- .struction .therefore .mak es it possible to handle substantially either side thereof can be used to uniformly supmetal strip-rails overlyingand fastened to said first setof rails transversely thereof and in edgeto-edge relationship therewith so as to form a symmetrical structure wherein port a plurality of boxes and wherein the adjacentrails of each set of rails define uniformly spaced waysopen at their ends and of equal widths forthe reception of the tines of the fork of afork lift truck so that a load can be placed on or removed from said pallet by a fork lift truck and said palletcan be lifted by said truck.

2. A pallet of the character defined in claim 3, wherein theends of the rails of one of said sets of rails extendslightly beyond the outer face hi the immediately adjacent rails of said other set of rails.

3. A pallet of the character described comprising: a firstset of equally spaced flat metal strip rails arranged with their faces parallel to each other, and a second identical set of similarly arranged and spaced metal strip rails overlying and fastened to said first set of rails transversely thereof and in edge-to-edge relationship therewith so as to form a substantially symmetrical structure wherein either side thereof can be used to uniformly support a plurality of boxes and wherein the adjacent rails of each set of rails define unobstructed uniformly spaced ways of equal widths for the reception of the tines of the fork of afork lift truck so that a load canbe placed on or removed from said pallet by a fork lifttruck and said pallet can be lifted by said truck.

-SIDNEY D. VLAPHAM.

References Cited in the file .of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS N-umber Name Date 2 45 Baumann .Feb. 25, 879 2,l58,229 Goldwaite May 16, 1939 2,412,184 Ulinski Dec. 3.19;;6 2,455,197 'Sullivan a .Nov. 30, 19.48 2,542,640 Dixon -Feb. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Numbe ,(l eet Pa 

